The present invention relates to commercial power management and, more particularly, management of a plug network at a business premises.
Many businesses are looking for ways to save electricity at their premises. Plug loads from appliances attached by employees to power outlets at their workspaces are a significant driver of power usage at business premises. Accordingly, it would be desirable for businesses to be able to regulate which appliances are attached by employees to power outlets at their workspaces. For example, a business might want to allow employees to use lamps at their workspaces, but prevent them from using fans, refrigerators, space heaters and coffee makers at their workspaces.
One way that a business might try to regulate which appliances are attached to power outlets at employee workspaces is to announce a company policy. However, simply announcing a company policy does not ensure compliance as employees might ignore or misinterpret the company policy.
A business might attempt to enforce the company policy by conducting workspace inspections. For example, the business might enlist inspectors to walk-around and check employee offices and cubicles for compliance. However, this requires hiring or designating inspectors and may be distracting and even embarrassing to employees whose workspaces are being inspected. Moreover, there is no guarantee that employees will remain compliant between inspections.